Name Period Date Grade 6, Unit 4 Pre-assessment The Tailor's Wish A Russian folktale retold by Dorothy Leon Once, in a small village in Russia, there lived a svitnik a tailor who was very poor. But he felt he had the wealth of the world because he had a devoted wife who always praised him and spoke loving words to him. The tailor wished for nothing more than to make her happy. And so he toiled day and night making svita, or clothing, in the hope of earning enough money to buy lovely gifts for her. One day, while making a woman s coat and matching hat, the tailor had a joyful thought. When he finished the clothes, he showed them to his wife. For you, he said. For me? For me, Josef? They are too fine for me. They are fit for the wife of the tsar, not me. Josef took his wife s hand into his and said, Svetlana, my love, nothing is too fine for you. But I shall listen to your wisdom. I shall take them to the tsar the country s ruler for his wife. Then, upon my return, I shall make a coat and hat for you exactly to your bidding. And so Josef placed the coat and hat in a large clean cloth, mounted his horse, and rode many miles to the tsar s palace. He arrived tired, but jubilant in the thought that he had the finest gift in the land for the tsarina the ruler s wife. He approached the guard at the gate to the palace grounds. I have a handsome coat and hat for the tsar s wife, and I wish entry, please, Josef said. A gift for the tsarina? With a greedy look in his eye, the guard said, Remain here. I will deliver it for you. I need to deliver it myself to determine if she ll need any changes, Josef replied, surprised at his own daring.
The guard thought for a moment, then said, Very well. I will let you pass. But you must know that whoever gives the tsar a gift will be granted one wish, and I want one-third of whatever the tsar gives you. Reluctantly, Josef agreed. I shall give you one-third of whatever the tsar gives me. Then he continued on his way to the palace. He went past the orchard in full bloom and past the field of growing vegetables. Suddenly a second guard approached him. Stop, ordered the guard. What is in that package? A handmade coat and hat for the tsarina, replied Josef. The guard eyed the valuable parcel. You need not go farther. I shall deliver it for you. You may stay here and wait. I wish to deliver it myself. Josef spoke more sternly than he had ever dared to speak to anyone. The guard paused in thought. Surely you know that whoever gives the tsar a gift will be granted one wish. I will let you deliver it, but I want one-third of whatever the tsar gives you. Josef sighed. I promise to give you that. Then he continued past the stables, past the meadow filled with grazing horses, cows, and bulls, past the chicken house. At last he was near the palace doors. But before he could enter, he was met by a third guard. And where do you think you are going? said the guard. I am going to see the tsar, replied Josef. I have a handmade coat and hat for the tsarina. The guard smiled greedily. I am the chief guard. I ll be happy to deliver them for you. I must deliver them myself, Josef said firmly. The tsarina may need changes made. Sensing Josef s determination, the guard said, I will permit you to do that. But you may know that the tsar offers one wish to the giver of a gift, and if I let you enter the palace, I want one-third of whatever the tsar gives you. Josef had expected this reply. He nodded, for he now had a plan. You shall have onethird. At last Josef entered the palace and presented his gift to the gracious tsarina. As she tried on the new coat and hat, the tsar looked on admiringly.
Thank you, Josef, the tsarina said. This is a most elegant coat and hat. They fit me well. I shall wear them with pride. The tsar turned to Josef and said, What fine gifts you have made for my tsarina. As thanks, I shall grant any request you make. Josef had already decided what he would wish for. I appreciate your generosity, my lord, said Josef. I wish for ninety-nine hours of hard labor picking fruit in the orchards and vegetables from the garden, feeding the animals, grooming the horses, milking the cows, gathering eggs, and plowing the land. Ninety-nine hours of hard labor no less, no more. The tsar was astonished. He asked, Why would anyone make such a request? Your majesty, the wish is not for me alone, said Josef. I promised to give each of the three guards one-third of my wish, and I always keep my promises. A broad smile spread over the face of the tsar. Your wish will be granted. And since you possess such intelligence as well as skill, from now on you shall be known as the Tailor of the Tsar. Tailor of the Tsar! I? Thank you, my lord, Josef said humbly. And in his mind he began composing the words he would use to tell his beloved Svetlana about their unbelievable good fortune.
1. Why does Josef s wife refuse the coat? A. To show her anger at him. B. To show her dislike for the coat and hat. C. To show her modesty. D. To suggest that Josef s clothes weren t a good quality. 2. Which idea from the passage best supports your answer? A. Svetlana, my love, nothing is too fine for you. B. For me, Josef? They are too fine for me. C. I shall make a coat and hat for you exactly to your bidding. D. I shall take them to the tsar the country s ruler for his wife. 3. Based on the information in the story, what conclusion can be drawn about the guards? A. The guards make the king happy. B. The guards keep the tsarina safe. C. The guards love coats and hats. D. The guards abuse their power. 4. Choose one sentence from the passage that best supports your answer and write it in the box below.
5. How did Josef s attitude change from the beginning to the end of the story? A. At the beginning Josef is happy; at the end he is sad. B. At the beginning Josef is ambitious; at the end he is unmotivated. C. At the beginning Josef is tired; at the end he is energetic. D. At the beginning Josef was discouraged; at the end he is encouraged. 6. Select one sentence that shows Josef s attitude at the beginning of the passage and another that shows his attitude at the end of the passage. A. Once, in a small village in Russia, there lived a svitnik a tailor who was very poor. B. The tailor wished for nothing more than to make her happy. C. And so Josef placed the coat and hat in a large clean cloth, mounted his horse, and rode many miles to the tsar s palace. D. And in his mind he began composing the words he would use to tell his beloved Svetlana about their unbelievable good fortune. Essential Questions 7. How can I deepen my understanding of the meaning of a story?
8. How can I write an effective narrative? Written Response This story is told from an outside narrator s point of view. Think about what the story would be like if it was told from the wife s point of view. What would be the same? What would be different? What would the reader learn about the wife that is not revealed in the passage? Starting from the moment when the wife refuses the hat and coat, rewrite the story from her point of view. Your story should: include the same characters and sequence of events include dialogue between the characters be consistent with the characters as they are described in the passage include detailed descriptions use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Scoring Guide: Grade 6, Unit 4 pre-assessment 1. C 2. B 3. D 4. One of the sentences below, or any reasonable response: With a greedy look in his eye the guard said The guard eyed the valuable parcel. I want one-third of whatever the tsar gives you. 5. D 6. B and C Questions 7 and 8 are the standards-based Essential Questions for the unit. Review responses to determine what students already know and understand. Written Response Use the rubric below.
Construct Measured Reading: comprehensi on of key ideas and details Writing: developmen t of ideas Score Point 0 Score Point 1 Score Point 2 Score Point 3 Score Point 4 No response; or the response is unintelligible or undecipherable not written in English too limited to evaluate No response; or the response is unintelligible or undecipherable not written in English too limited to evaluate provides a minimally accurate or inaccurate analysis of what the text says, and cited textual evidence shows limited or inaccurate comprehension of ideas expressed in the text(s). Specific scoring notes: Student s narrative depicts the tailor and his wife in a way that bears little or no resemblance to their characters as presented in the passage. addresses the prompt and develops the claim, topic and/or narrative elements minimally by using limited reasoning, details, text-based evidence and/or description; the development is limited in its appropriateness to the task, purpose, and/or audience. provides a mostly accurate analysis of what the text says explicitly or inferentially and cited textual evidence, shows a basic comprehension of ideas expressed in the text(s). Specific scoring notes: Student s narrative is consistent with the characters of the tailor and his wife as presented in the passage but offers no significant development of the wife s character. addresses the prompt and provides some development of the claim, topic and/or narrative elements by using some reasoning, details, text-based evidence, and/or description; the development is somewhat appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience. provides an accurate analysis of what the text says explicitly and inferentially and cites textual evidence to support the analysis, showing extensive comprehension of ideas expressed in the text(s). Specific scoring notes: Student s narrative depicts the characters of the tailor and his wife in a believable way and shows additional development of the wife s character. addresses the prompt and provides effective development of the claim, topic and/or narrative elements by using clear reasoning, details, text-based evidence, and/or description; the development is largely appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience. provides an accurate analysis of what the text says explicitly and inferentially and cites convincing textual evidence to support the analysis, showing full comprehension of complex ideas expressed in the text(s). Specific scoring notes: Student s narrative convincingly depicts the tailor and his wife in a believable way that is consistent with their characters and uses dialogue and description tosignificantly develop the wife s character. addresses the prompt and provides effective and comprehensive development of the claim, topic and/or narrative elements by using clear and convincing reasoning, details, textbased evidence, and/or description; the development is consistently appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience.
Writing: organization Writing: clarity of language Writing: knowledge of language and conventions No response; or the response is unintelligible or undecipherable not written in English too limited to evaluate No response; or the response is unintelligible or undecipherable not written in English too limited to evaluate No response; or the response is unintelligible or undecipherable not written in English too limited to evaluate demonstrates limited or no coherence, clarity, and/or cohesion, making the writer s progression of ideas somewhat or entirely unclear. has a style that has limited or impaired effectiveness, with limited or highly deficient awareness of the norms of the discipline. The response includes limited if any descriptions, sensory details, linking or transitional words, words to indicate tone, or domainspecific vocabulary. demonstrates little or no command of the conventions of standard English. There are frequent and varied errors in grammar and usage, demonstrating little or no control over language. There are frequent distracting errors in grammar and usage that often impede understanding. demonstrates some coherence, clarity, and/or cohesion, and includes an introduction, conclusion, and logically grouped ideas, making the writer s progression of ideas usually discernible but not obvious. establishes and maintains a mostly effective style, while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline. The response uses some precise language, including descriptive words and phrases, sensory details, linking and transitional words, words to indicate tone and/or domain-specific vocabulary. demonstrates limited command of the conventions of standard English. There are multiple errors in grammar and usage demonstrating minimal control over language. There are multiple distracting errors in grammar and usage that sometimes impede understanding. demonstrates a great deal of coherence, clarity, and cohesion, and includes an introduction, conclusion, and a logical progression of ideas, making it fairly easy to follow the writer s progression of ideas. establishes and maintains an effective style, while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline. The response uses mostly precise language, including descriptive words and phrases, sensory details, linking and transitional words, words to indicate tone, and/or domain-specific vocabulary. demonstrates a generally consistent command of the conventions of standard English. There are a few patterns of errors in grammar and usage that may infrequently impede understanding. demonstrates purposeful coherence, clarity, and cohesion and includes a strong introduction, conclusion, and a logical, wellexecuted progression of ideas, making it easy to follow the writer s progression of ideas. establishes and maintains an effective style, while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline. uses precise language consistently, including descriptive words and phrases, sensory details, linking and transitional words, words to indicate tone, and/or domainspecific vocabulary. demonstrates command of the conventions of standard English consistent with effectively edited writing. Though there may be a few minor errors in grammar and usage, meaning is clear throughout the response.